Spring Gobbler hunting is tough! Anyone that has attempted to tag Spring Turkeys knows just how many things can go wrong. The only time Gobblers are a tad easier to hunt is when they are breeding. This is also true of elk, big bucks, and so many other big game critters.
Lacy Wilcox has become a fantastic Turkey Hunting Queen. Her husband Eric shared his skills and taught her well. The Idaho couple finds that hunting and fishing are things that they love to share and make them closer.
This season, Lacy has managed to tag 2 beautiful Gobblers. In both cases, the hunt was almost over before they started. Despite things not going as planned, Lacy and Eric kept on hunting. 4 setups this morning failed to lure in a Tom. Just about the time you think a turkey is going to do a certain thing, they do the opposite.
Her second bird was in an open field with two other birds. It was later in the day and the prime hunting had passed. There was no way to get closer so maybe some calls would help. When the birds went into some cover, they set up a decoy and got into a Fir tree for camo.
Eric began calling. A couple sexy purrs and clucks did the trick. Suddenly a red head popped up from the cover where the Toms had moved. Sure enough, the Gobblers heard the calls and began running toward their stand site. Turkeys can run over 25 miles per hour, and they closed the distance quickly.
Head shots are required to dispatch a big turkey. You need to aim at the ugly head where the feathers start and stop. Several shotgun BB’s are needed to put the bird down. A fast-moving target makes this shot even tougher. The Toms were coming uphill and went into a field of winter wheat.
Lacy was locked onto her 20-gauge shotgun, waiting for the best moment to shoot. BOOM!!! Her shot was perfect and closer than she expected. The bird was just 18 paces from the end of her barrel. Lacy was afraid that the big Gobblers were going to attack them. This hunt took all of 10 minutes!
Eric has tagged a lifetime of turkeys. The best hunters enjoy teaching others how to enjoy the sport that they love.
They both have a great story to Cackle about!
Montana Grant
